Thursday, September 1, 2011

Character questionnaires can be a great way to get to know your characters and to add depth. There are so many different types of questionnaires available, that I thought I would share several with you over the next few posts.

I have probably seen a dozen or more different types and have tried them all, from the exhaustive to the very simple. Everyone has a different way to write, so you can take from these or add to them as much as you would like.

I have found that I really enjoy the very in-depth questions with many questions. I have so much fun fleshing out my characters...too much fun. I have had to learn to find out some of the basics...what I think could be important in the beginning because I never get around to writing.

These questions can become a major distraction for me.

But asking the questions is like interviewing a potential new employee...you can weed out all the wrong people for the position.

So choose wisely what works best for you and tweak it a little for a perfect fit.

These questionnaires come from my personal collection.

Name
Age
Birthday
Where does s/he live
Why did s/he choose to live there
Does s/he live in an apartment or a house
Does s/he live by himself or with others
What kind of vehicle does s/he drive
What are his/her important material possessions
Give a brief physical description
What are his/her hobbies
What kind of music does s/he enjoy
Does s/he have pets
What are his/her favorite foods & drinks
What is his/her education
What is his/her job
How does s/he feel about his work
What does s/he want to be doing in twenty years
Is s/he married, single, divorced
Does s/he have children
Who are his/her parents
Does s/he have brothers and sisters
Where was s/he born and raised
Who is his/her best friend
Who is his/her worst enemy
Which one event in his/her life has made this person what s/he is today
What trait does s/he have which s/he wants to keep secret from the world
What does s/he like most about his/her life
What does s/he dislike most about his/her life
What is his/her most likable character trait
Who is this person’s love interest

This is a handy list but there are still other questions that I will bring you in futrue posts as we get more in depth with our characters.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

But first I need to make mention of Camy Tang's blog today over at Seekerville. If you haven't checked it out yet....go NOW! She is always so informative. She doesn't just talk about galleys..she shows you examples. How cool is that?

Today I'm going to bring you some crazy headllines. This hits home for me, since there is a collection of them where I work. All written by our talented copy desk team:) These however are the work of others:

Thursday, August 4, 2011

But on to some fun and interesting facts. I've got some weird news of the day to share.

Real life British superheroes find crime hard to find.Two self-styled superheroes – The Dark Spartan and his sidekick The Black Void – have vowed to fight crime and deploy justice to their neighbourhood.

Just when you thought all the good guys were gone.

Sometimes odd news can help with a story idea, not to mention its pretty darn interesting. I once read about a woman who had sat on her toilet for around a year. Never leaving it. Her boyfriend would bring her dinner and everything. How's that for weird. I will be sharing odd news from now on....I think:)

OK, now to continue with genre descriptions, here is science fiction categories.

Hard science fiction: based on real science in the future. Scientific background may be as or more important than the characters.

Social science fiction: focus on how the character reacts to their environment.

Military science fiction: about war that feature traditional military organization and tactics in the future.

Cyberpunk: characters are tough outsiders in a high-tech society where computers have changed the way society functions.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Alright, continuing from last time, lets look at romance subcategories.

Category or series: These are published in “lines” from individual publishing houses. Each has its own requirements.

Christian: With an inspirational, Christian message centering around faith and relationship with God. Sensuality is played down.

Glitz: Feature wealthy, high-powered characters in careers considered to be glamorous and set in exciting or exotic locals.

Historical: Can cover any historical period.Gothic: Strong element of suspense and feeling of supernatural events although these events usually have a natural explanation. Dark, moody, and suspenseful.Fantasy: elements of magic and magical beings, frequently set in a medieval society.Early American: Usually Revolution or Civil War, set in New England or the South, but frontier stories set in the American West are popular.Native American: One or both of the characters are Native American; conflict between cultures is a popular theme.Regency: set in England during the Regency period from 1811-1820.

Multicultural: Most currently feature African-American or Hispanic couples.

Paranormal: Containing elements of the supernatural or science fiction/fantasy.

Romantic comedy: Has a comic premise or perspective in the author’s voice.

Friday, July 22, 2011

I saw a great sign today posted at a church:Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet Him.

Isn’t that great?

Now on to business. As I was searching through the lists of agents that might be interested in my writing, I came across several genres that I wasn’t familiar with. I thought there might be other writers out there who might be confused as well, here are some definitions from Writer’s Market. These are just a basic definition.

Mystery:Classic Mystery, the whodunit: A crime is solved…mostly murders. All the clues are available to the reader.

Amateur detective: Detective is not a pro.

Courtroom drama: Takes place primarily in a courtroom. Protagonist is usually an attorney trying to prove her client’s innocence.

Cozy: Frequently features a female protagonist. Less violence. Protagonist usually quirky or eccentric. Plot is often wrapped up in a final scene rather than the detective identifying the murder and explaining what happened.

Espionage: International spy novel.

Heists and capers: The crime is the focus. Its planning and execution are detailed. There is one obvious leader of the group.

Historical: Emphasis is on setting and details. Research is very important.

Juevenile/young adult: written for 8-12 age group. Or 12+ age group. The protagonist is the same age as the reader. No graphic violence.

Medical thriller: Involving doctors or medical professionals involved in a medical treatment or can be a patient, family or friends who uncover a plot and try to bring down the villain.

Police procedurals: Conflict between the detective’s partners or his or her superiors is the most common plot.

Private detective: When described as hard boiled, violence is more prominent, characters are darker and there is open resentment toward law enforcement.

Suspense/thrillers: Deals with the intricacies of the crime; what motivated it and how the villain is caught and brought to justice. The crime may not involve a murder. May be a threat to the global economy or technology gone wrong.

Technothriller: These are replacing the espionage novels and feature technology as an integral part of the plot.

Woman in jeopardy: Focus is on the woman or her children that are currently at risk because of murder or other crime that was committed.

Next time we will look at the categories under romance….my favorite ;)

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

It has been over a year since I last blogged. I had several upsetting things happen in my personal life and I needed to take some time off.

But I am back now and hope things will run more smoothly this time. My apologies to my one follower. Thanks for following.

I will not be accessing the internet everyday. Therefore I will only blog once per week at this stage. I figure it would just be a hodge podge of different things. Thoughts, complaints, information.

I don't have anything planned for today, but will try to be better organized next time. It's time for me to hit the blogs and chat with fellow aspiring authors and already published author's again as well.

If there is anyone out there that you think I shouldn't miss, please let me know. I am very very new to the business. I haven't completed a manuscript, entered contests or been to any conventions. But that will all change this year (fingers crossed).

My writing experience comes from the journalism world - a daily newspaper close to where I live. So, I am a writer, but the world of fiction writing is new to me.

I was surprised one day when I was on my way to work and God was prodding me to write a different story then the one I had already started and been laboring on for a long time.

It was one of the many ideas that I had written down and thought that I might revisit one day. But God had put it in my heart to start that book now. This threw me for a loop. The new novel was a different genre than the previous and in a different era.

I have always written historicals, but they have always been in the nineteenth century. This one would take place in the roaring 20s. Something I knew little about. So, researching all over again, I had to learn all I could about the jazz age and begin anew.

And, here I am. At the beginning of that journey. Researched up and ready to go.